Travel to Moscow has changed – for the better

I haven’t been back to Moscow for over 3 years and I am impressed by the upgrade to the traveler’s experience. I flew into the terminal D at Sheremetyevo and have noticed the following upgrades since I was last here.

No need for a landing card anymore. You simply hand your passport to passport control and they scan it – eliminating the need for a separate form. They use to hand out landing cards on the flights and famously stop providing an English version because they felt like it.

The Aeroexpress train. A train leaving direct from the airport to the Belarusskaya station in the middle of Moscow. The journey takes 35 minutes and costs about $15. There used to be an enormous scrum of taxi drivers as you exited customs – the amount of taxi drivers were seriously diminished this time as people are bypassing the $50+ rides in favor of the Aeroexpress train. You can also pre-buy the ticket online and scan the QR code to get to the train. I used to have hilarious experiences gesticulating with the agent trying to buy a subway ticket.

The remake of the entire terminal D. Gone is the dark, dingy crowded hallways replaced with brightly light brand new terminals and bathrooms. A much needed upgrade to the shops and travel experience.

Change to multiple entry visas. You can now get up to a 3 year multiple entry visa and they’ve dropped the need to provide a negative HIV test result.